TORONTO: Ontario is proposing new red tape and burden reduction measures intended to minimize existing barriers on businesses and support a long-term recovery plan.
Prabmeet Sarkaria, Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, has announced Ontario’s Spring Red Tape Reduction Package and introduced the Supporting Recovery and Competitiveness Act.
Sarkaria said: “We’ve been focused on ending complex and duplicative rules that stifle the entrepreneurial spirit and make it harder for our businesses to compete, grow and prosper – our proposed legislation would help businesses rebound from this very difficult period.”
The proposed legislative changes in the act, along with other measures in the package, include:
• Helping consumers save money on electricity by making it easier for them to track their energy usage
• Helping to ensure Ontario remains a global leader in the connected and automated vehicle industry by supporting innovative pilot programs – like consulting on adding new vehicle types such as automated farm vehicles, and removing certain restrictions around modified automated vehicles
• Modernizing Ontario by bringing more processes and services online, including developing new applications that will allow online sticker renewal for heavy commercial vehicle plates in mid-2022
• Enhancing protections for workers by strengthening policies that keep them safe – like reviewing the working at heights training program to improve standards for training content and delivery
• Supporting the not-for-profit sector and other corporations by allowing them to continue to hold virtual meetings during the pandemic.
“The pandemic has reinforced the need for government to modernize regulations and reduce regulatory roadblocks,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “This package will benefit individuals, families and businesses.”